Supporting means for idler rollers of troughed belt



April 26, 1955 J. H. RATZER 2,707,047 SUPPORTI NG MEANS FOR IDLER ROLLERS OF TROUGHED BELT Filed Jan. 10, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 In venlor Ja/m f/emyfiatzer M Attorney April 26, 1955 J. H. RATZER SUPPORTING MEANS FOR IDLER ROLLERS OF TROUGHED BELT Filed Jan. 10, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnvenlor Jo/m J /em'g .Pazer A No m e y United States Patent SUPPORTING MEANS FOR IDLER ROLLERS OF TROUGHED BELT John Henry Ratzer, London, England, assignor to Babcock & Wilcox Limited, London, England, a British company Application January 10, 1951, Serial No. 205,343

2 Claims. (Cl. 198-192) This invention relates to belt conveyors. In a belt conveyor the endless belt is supported by troughing idler rollers and return idler rollers, while guide idler rollers may be used for guiding the belt by engagement with the sides thereof. In a belt conveyor of appreciable length a substantial number of sets of troughing idler rollers and return idler rollers is required and, consequently, economy in manufacture and in the maintenance of supporting means for the sets of idler rollers and convenience in the installation and maintenance of such means and in the changing of rollers are of prime importance. An object of the present invention is the provision of improved idler roller supporting means for idler rollers of a belt conveyor. A further object of the invention is the provision of supporting means comprising an assembly of parts such that any part is readily replaceable in the event of damage thereto and the operating time lost to the conveyor is therefore reduced to a minimum. A still further object of the invention is the provision, of light yet rigid supporting means having a high strength to weight ratio.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a transom a set of live brackets and troughing rollers;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the transom; and

Figure 3 is an end view of the transom and the centre bracket and roller.

The transom 1 illustrated, by way of example, has a length slightly greater than 3 feet 6 inches and is pressed, for example, from mild steel sheet of No. 9 Standard Birmingham sheet gauge.

The transom includes a top or platform 2 having, at opposite sides, rearwardly extending flanges 3 and 4 and, at its ends, rearwardly extending flanges 5 and 6.

The platform 2 is formed with a single, central, continuous upstanding rib 7, the rib having a width somewhat less than a third of the width of the platform, having its ends spaced somewhat from the ends of the platform and projecting from the surface of the platform by a distance approximately equal to the thickness of the sheet metal of which the transom is formed. If desired the rib may be extended to and beyond the ends of the platform into the flanges 5 and 6.

The end flanges 5 and 6 project rearwardly further than the side flanges 3 and 4 and provide at their rear edges 8 surfaces for the engagement of means to which the transom is to be clamped. Near each end and towards the corner thereof the platform is formed with two transversely extending slots 9 for the passage of bolts whereby the transom may be secured in position.

The end flanges 5 and 6 are shaped in a manner adapted to impart a slight inclination rearwardly, in the direction of movement of the belt, of a plane passing upwardly from the transom through the axes of troughing idler rollers 10 to 14 supported by the transom. Such inclination serves in operation to exercise a centralising action upon the belt. Thus, suitably, as shown, the rear edges 8 of the end flanges are formed at a slight angle to the plane of the platform. Conveniently, as seen in Figure 1, the end flanges are set outwardly of the extremities of the side flanges, whereby trimming of the rear edges of the end flanges becomes necessary, such operation is facilitated. If preferred, the flanges 3 and 4 may in depth be coterminns with the adjacent parts of supporting the flanges 5 and 6, so that they also engage the means to which the transom is clamped.

The brackets 15 to 19, respectively supporting the rollers 10 to 14, are bolted to the transom by screws (not shown) engaged with threaded nipples 20, which nipples are formed by pressing holes in the metal of the transom and displacing metal from the holes rearwardly. Suitably four holes, such as the holes 21 for the bracket 15, are provided for each bracket, two on each side of the rib 7 on the platform.

The brackets 15 to 19 are pressed from thin plate or sheet metal, for example, steel sheet of No. 7 Standard Birmingham sheet gauge, and each bracket is formed with a central rib 22 extending along the base 23 and the arms 24 and 25 of the bracket and forming on the underside of the base of the bracket a corresponding recess 26 having such a Width and depth as to fit the rib 7 on the platform, which, therefore, serves as a locating means for the brackets.

The bracket for the central roller 12 is formed with vertical arms 24 and 25 and the brackets for the other rollers are formed with arms 24 and 25 having lower vertical portions 27 and upper inclined portions 28, the proportioning of the lower and upper portions and the inclination being such as to locate the outer troughing rollers 10, 11, 13 and 14 in appropriate positions.

The arms of each bracket are adapted to exert a spring action for holding the spindle 28 of an associated roller. Thus, conveniently, the arms of a bracket are formed at their extremities with slots, such as the slot 29 seen in Figure 3, for the reception of roller spindle ends. Suitably, the roller spindle is formed at each end with diametrically opposite flats 30, so that the sides of the flats at the spindle ends fit the sides of the slots in the respective bracket arms, which are adapted to press strongly through washers 31 against shoulders on the roller spindle adjacent the inner ends of the flats.

The rollers may be of the form described and claimed in co-pending patent application Serial No. 205,257, filed January 10, 1951.

In the idler roller supporting means described above, the transom and brackets are manufactured with an economy of material and labor and adequate strength is obtained, despite the thinness of the sheet metal used for constructing the transom and brackets, thanks to the ribbing of the transom and brackets, which exerts a strengthening effect by virtue not only of the increase in the moments of inertia of the elements about their neutral axes, but also because of the work hardening of the metal from which the elements are made.

During installation, the transoms are quickly and easily set with the plane passing through the axes of the rollers at the desired inclination with respect to the direction of movement of the belt, and during service a roller may quickly be replaced simply by pulling the faulty roller upwardly and away from the spring jaws constituted by the arms of the supporting bracket and forcing the new roller into position with the flats of the roller spindle in engagement With the slots at the extremities of the bracket arms.

Fixed, threaded means of a reliable nature are provided in a simple manner on the transom for the securement of the brackets, notwithstanding the thinness of the metal of which the transom is formed, and during service a bracket may quickly and easily be replaced without disturbing the transom, since no loose nuts are provided on the under side of the transom and access to the under side is unnecessary.

Instead of pressing the transom and/or brackets from steel, sheets or plates of aluminum alloy or other suitable metal may be used.

What we claim is:

1. Supporting means for idler rollers of a belt conveyor comprising,

3 v engaged with said platform; and complementary locating means formed on said platform and each of said base portions and each including at least one rigidifying corrugation extending longitudinally of the platform of the transom which, when end-supported, constitutes a rigid support for said roller mounting brackets; the outer edges of said end flanges being similarly inclined relative to the platform.

2. Supporting means for idler rollers of a belt conveyor comprising, in combination, a one piece pressed thin sheet or plate metal transom including a supporting platform having rearwardly extending flanges along its opposite sides; a plurality of roller mounting brackets removably secured along said transom each of pressed thin sheet or plate metal and each including a pair of outwardly projecting arms constructed and arranged to hold a roller spindle joined by a base portion engaged with said platform of the transom which, when end supported, constitutes a rigid support for said roller mounting brackets; locating and rigidifying means formed on each base portion; rigidifying means formed 0!l---3.Ch

arm, said last named rigidifying means each being continuous with a base portion rigidifying means; and locating and rigidifying means formed on said platform complementary to said base portion rigidifying means; each rigidifying means including at least one longitudinally extending corrugation. 

